1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an air conditioner control system, a central remote controller, and a facility controller for collecting information regarding operation states of air conditioners in the air conditioner control system and for remotely monitoring and controlling the air conditioners and facilities based on the information collected.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 57 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a conventional air conditioner control system which has been disclosed in a Japanese laid-open publication number JP-A-2000-266390. In the diagram, reference characters 102a–102c designate a plurality of indoor units in the air conditioner control system and 101a–101c denote a plurality of outdoor units corresponding to the indoor units. The outdoor units 101a–101c and the corresponding indoor units 102a–102c form air conditioners in the air conditioner control system. Those outdoor units 101a–101c and the corresponding indoor units 102a–102c are controlled in operation using data items which are transferred through a transmission wiring 104. Reference characters 103a–103c indicate remote controllers, each controller controls the operation of the corresponding indoor unit. Reference 105 designates a central controller controlling the entire operation of the indoor units 102a–102c. The central controller 105 is connected to the air conditioners through the communication wiring 104 in order to control the operation of the indoor units 102a–102c. Reference number 106 denotes a facility controller as a building facility for transmitting and receiving data items, which is connected through the communication wiring 104 to the outdoor units 101a–101c, the indoor units 102a–102c, the remote controller 103a–103c, and the central controller 105. The facility controller 106 is connected to a public telephone network 108 through a modem 107 as a connector for the public telephone network 108.
Reference characters 110a–110c indicate remote monitor terminals for communicating with the facility controller 106 through the modems 109a–109c and the public telephone network 108 and editing data items regarding the current state of the air conditioners and displaying the data items edited.
By the way, the number of the outdoor units 101a–101c, the indoor units 102a–102c, the remote controllers 103a–103c, and the central controller 105 is not limited by the above case, and, of course, the number of the remote monitor terminals 110a–110c is also not limited.
FIG. 58 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the facility controller 106 in the conventional air conditioner control system disclosed in a Japanese laid-open publication number JP-A-2000-266390, like the configuration shown in FIG. 57. As shown in FIG. 58, the facility controller 106 monitors and controls the operation state of the outdoor units 101a–101c and the indoor units 102a–102c. The facility controller 106 comprises a microcomputer 121, a communication means 122, a public telephone network communication means 123, a spot adjustment means 124, a display means 125, and a searching instruction means 126. The microcomputer 121 controls the entire operation of the facility controller 106. The communication means 122 communicates information with the air conditioners comprising the outdoor units 101a–101c and the indoor units 102a–102c, the remote controller 103a–103c and the central controller 105. The public telephone network communication means 123 converts data items in order to perform the communication between the facility controller 106 and the remote monitor terminals 110a–110c through the public telephone network 108 and the modems 107 and 109a–109c. Through the spot adjustment means 124 a user inputs system information regarding the current state of the air conditioner control system. The display means 125 informs the current state of the facility controller 106 and the state of the air conditioners to outside such as a user. The searching instruction means 126 is made up of switches which cause a trigger to execute the searching instruction stored in the facility controller 106.
The microcomputer 121 comprises a system information memory means 131, an operation state memory means 132, an address information comparison means 133, and a system information collecting means 134. The system information memory means 131 stores the system information of the air conditioner control system set by the spot adjustment means 124. The operation state memory means 132 stores the operation state of the air conditioners. The address information comparison means 133 compares the address information of the air conditioner control system set at the place where the outdoor units 101a–0101c and the indoor units 102a–102c are placed with the address information of the current time detected by the microcomputer 121. The system information collecting means 134 automatically collects the system information of each air conditioner in the air conditioner control system.
The central controller 105 is capable of controlling the operation of each air conditioner connected to the air conditioner control system using an inherent communication protocol. In general, because this type of the communication protocol is different from that of every manufacture of the air conditioners, the air conditioner control system is closed in its system configuration.
The facility controller 106 can communicate with the remote monitor terminals 110a–110c using each means shown in FIG. 58. However, the system information is available only within the system using the communication protocol. Therefore the air conditioner manufactured by another different manufacture cannot use this type of the communication protocol. Further, the facility controller 106 is separated in configuration from the central controller 105 which can communicate information with the air conditioners. The facility controller 106 is the dedicated equipment to be applicable only to the air conditioner control system comprising the outdoor units 101a–101c and the indoor units 102a–102c. 
FIG. 59 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a conventional air conditioner control system of a large configuration where a plurality of outdoor units 101 and indoor units 102 are mounted. In FIG. 59, reference number 111 designates a supervision controller, one terminal of which is connected to the facility controller 106 and other terminal is connected to the modem 107. Other system components have the same configuration in the system shown in FIG. 57.
The supervision controller 111 collects the operation information transmitted from a plurality of the facility controllers 106 and transmits the operation information of the outdoor units 101a–101c and the indoor units 102a–102c to the remote monitor terminals 110a–110c through the public telephone network 108 and the modems 109a–109c. 
FIG. 60 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the indoor unit controller 141 for the conventional indoor units 102a–102c. In FIG. 60, reference number 141 designates the indoor unit controller equipped in each of the indoor units 102a–102c. Reference number 142 denotes an indoor unit component, 143 indicates a facility device mounted in the air conditioner, and 144 designates transmission wiring connected to the facility device 143, through which the interior controller 141 controls the operation of the facility device 143.
In the indoor unit controller 141, reference number 151 indicates a central processing means, 152 denotes a transmission means, 153 indicates an input/output means connected to the component 142 of the indoor unit, and 154 designates an input/output means connected to the facility device 143. The indoor unit component 142 includes a fun motor, a temperature sensor of air at the inlet and the like forming each of the indoor units 102a–102c. The central processing means 151 executes a program stored previously in a memory (not shown) in order to control the operation of the component 142 through the input/output means 153.
The facility device 143 indicates additional devices such as a luminaire (lighting unit) and an operation switch for the indoor unit, different from the devices incorporated in the indoor unit in advance, set up outside thereof. Therefore a user operates and controls the facility device 143 according to the above program through the facility device input/output means 154 and the transmission wiring 144.
In a case where the user remotely controls the operation state of a facility device as an additional device and of the air conditioner control system, different from the case of the facility device 143 described above, the facility controller 106 and the supervision controller 111 are further mounted in order to collect information regarding the operation state of the facility device and the air conditioner control system and to transmit the information of the operation state to outside.
Because the conventional air conditioner control system has the configuration described above, the following drawbacks occur.
In general, the air conditioner control system uses a difference communication protocol corresponding to every manufacture. It is necessary to use the public telephone network 108 as a communication line when the user remotely controls the operation state of the air conditioners in the system at the place separated from the building where the air conditioners are mounted. The modem 107 includes a general-purpose communication means such as RS232C interface in order to connect the air conditioners to the public telephone network 108. Accordingly, the conventional air conditioner control system has to incorporate a converter for converting the dedicated communication protocol for the air conditioners to a communication protocol for the general-purpose communication means. This increases the cost of the air conditioner control system.
Because RS232C interface for communication through the modem 107 is one-to-one correspondence and the facility controller 106 is connected to only one modem 107, the number of the air conditioners in the system to be connected is thereby limited. When the user monitors the state of the air conditioner control system having a plurality of air conditioners through a display means, it is necessary to incorporate the supervision controller 111 into the air conditioner control system in order to connect a plurality of the facility controllers 106 to the modem 107. This increases the cost of the system and causes the limitation in location where the supervision controller 111 is placed.
When adding an air conditioner of a new type having a new function into the conventional air conditioner control system, it is necessary to change the contents of the programs in the facility controller 106 and the supervision controller 111 through which signals for the new functions added are transmitted between the remote monitor terminals 110a–110c and the remote controllers 103a–103c and the central controller 105. This increases the cost of the system and also the labor for maintenance.
Further, it is necessary to incorporate a dedicated program for the remote monitoring. Although there are many demands to use a personal computer (PC) as the remote monitor terminals 110a–110c, which can also perform paperwork, it is unknown whether or not adverse effect occurs when the personal computer as the remote monitor terminal executes both the dedicated program for the remote monitoring and the paperwork simultaneously. Accordingly, the conventional air conditioner control system has the drawback in which the remote monitor terminals 110a–110c are used only for the remote monitoring. Furthermore, when the air conditioner is replaced with new one or when the operation system of the personal computer as the remote monitor terminal is updated, it requires to change the programs. This increases the cost necessary for the change of the programs in addition to the cost of the new air conditioner.
In order to solve the drawback described above, there are following methods:
To use a Local Area Network (LAN) as a transmission medium, through which a plurality of devices can transmit data at a high speed, in order to construct the air conditioner control system without incorporating the supervision controller 111;
To incorporate the function of the facility controllers 106 into the central controllers 105 in order to reduce the cost and the labor of the facility controller 106 and wiring thereof; and
To incorporate a browser software (or a computer program of a Web browser), for use in monitoring, into the remote monitoring terminals 110a–110c instead of the dedicated monitoring software and to generate a display window using the browser software and send it.
However, when the above function is incorporated in each central controller 105, it is necessary to incorporate a microcomputer of a high performance and a memory of a large size because LAN has to process a large amount of data items at a high speed. Therefore the cost of the air conditioner control system becomes expensive. In order to sale a high-priced air conditioner control system, the system must include functions of high-performance corresponding to the high-cost. This indicates that the central controller 105 has to use, as operation means and display means, the operation input means such as a LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) window with touch keys as the operation means and the display means in order to achieve the variety of input and display.
Thus, the high-performance of the central controller 105 causes a higher cost based on the reason described above. When the variety of the functions is displayed on a window of a limited area on a display panel, it is necessary to send many data items to the window. This also causes the difficulty for the user to see the window. If the size of the window becomes enlarged, the cost of the system is also increased and this introduces the difficulty to place the large sized window on the central controller 105.
In addition, the high-performance of the function in the central controller 105 causes the drawback where a general user to handle the air conditioners becomes difficulty in operation of the central controller 105 because the system with the high-performance involves unnecessary functions for various users other than the general user, such as a distributor to sale the air conditioners, a building administrator, a working person to set the devices, and a facility designer, who do not handle the entire design, construction, and management for the air conditioner control system in a building.
The indoor unit controller 141 in the indoor units 102a–102c controls the facility device 143 which is installed optionally at the place where the indoor unit has been mounted according to the program which is stored in advance in a memory device and executed by the central processing means 151. Accordingly, there is the drawback that the program cannot control any additional facility device other than the facility device 143 whose function has been registered in the program in advance.
In order to control the additional facility device above, it is necessary to incorporate dedicated terminals corresponding to the number of the additional facility devices into the system. This increases the costs of device and construction.
Moreover, in order to remotely control the operation state of the air conditioners and facility devices, the facility controllers 106 collect the information regarding the operation state of the air conditioners and transmit the information to outside. Therefore the facility controllers 106 have to incorporate a transmitter of a high-performance.
Furthermore, the conventional air conditioner control system having the configuration shown in FIG. 57 has the following drawback.
In general, in order to reduce the cost of the air conditioner control system, a transmission speed between the air conditioners through the transmission wiring 104 is designed in 9,600 pbs (bit per second) which is relatively low. This transmission speed enables to send approximately three commands per second between the air conditioners.
When the charge is calculated based on an opening state of an electrical expansion valve of each of the indoor units 102a–102c, it is necessary for each facility controller 106 to obtain the air conditioner information every one minute interval. When sixty indoor units 102a–102c are connected to the system, it is necessary to send one command every one minute. In addition to this transmission, it is necessary to send the operation commands for the remote controllers 103a–103c, and communication commands between the indoor units 102a–102c and the remote monitor terminals 110a–110c. Therefore the collection interval for commands is limited when the facility controller 106 collects the information of the air conditioners in order to send the information to the remote monitor terminals 110a–110c. 
For example, when a malfunction occurs in the air conditioner control system and one of the remote monitor controller 110a–110c analyses its problem source and when the control of the electrical expansion valve and the control of the frequency of a compressor in the system are controlled every one minute interval, it is difficult to judge the operation state and the problem source.
In addition, it is difficult to store a large amount of air conditioner information during a long time period because the memory size in the facility controller 106 is limited. As a result, it is necessary to delete the preceding air conditioner information stored in the memory or to send the air conditioner information to the remote monitor controllers 110a–110c every when the memory is filled with the information collected. This increases the telephone charge through the public telephone network 108. Furthermore, it is necessary to pay the telephone charge in order to send the air conditioner information to a plurality of the remote monitor terminals 110a–110c. This also increases the entire cost for operating and maintenance.
Moreover, the facility controller 106 cannot send the air conditioner information to the remote monitor controllers 110a–110c when there is no available telephone traffic during a busy hour in order to connect the facility controller 106 to the remote monitor terminals 110a–110c for receiving the air conditioner information or when the remote monitor terminals 110a–110c uses other applications.
In order to solve the problem above, it is necessary to add a dedicated telephone communication line or to mount additional dedicated remote monitor terminals. However, the conventional countermeasure above increases the entire cost of the air conditioning system.
By the way, the decreasing of the number of the transmissions in order to decrease the telephone charge causes to increase the memory size in the facility controller 106. This also increases the entire cost of the air conditioner control system.
On the other hand, when the central monitor device mounted in a building where the air conditioners are mounted collects the air conditioner information without any use of the public telephone network 108, there is no problem about the telephone charge because the telephone charge is not increased. However, the interval to collect or receive the air conditioner information is still long, so that it is difficult to analyze the air conditioner information. The air conditioner information obtained from the conventional air conditioner control system is used as the information of the normal operation state. When a malfunction causes in the system, a dedicated analyzer analysis the air conditioner information obtained. However, in general, the dedicated analyzer is mounted after the malfunction causes. Therefore it is difficult to compare the air conditioner information obtained when the malfunction occurs with the information before the occurrence of the malfunction, and therefore difficult to analyze the problem source.